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Russian Bear posted:Counterpoint, you should be getting off the boring rear end slab asap and ride a more fun road at probably lower speed. I'm in southern Ontario. There's fast boring straight roads or slow boring straight roads. I like the prospect of having the option of commuting to work in 45 minutes by highway without starting my day with crippling anxiety. That said, the ride to work along the "scenic" ride is nice too so I don't plan to ditch that, but it's nice to have the option  MSPain posted:that said, it's probably healthy to have some impulse towards self preservation so I wouldn't consider that embarrassing Thanks yeah! I found that earplugs definitely help (and I tend to wear them anyway since I want to preserve what's left of my hearing). I'm not embarrassed, per se, it's more of the fact that everyone always says the more you take highways the more desensitized you get to them. I've been taking highways for five years trying to make myself get over the anxiety and while I've had some sessions where it feels /better/ than most, yesterday was the first time I ever felt as at ease at 110kph surrounded by trucks and audis riding my rear tire as I do on a chill city or lake shore ride at half that speed. some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 11:30 on May 10, 2024 |
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May 10, 2024 11:26
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| # ? Jun 7, 2024 04:23 |
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I got used to freeway riding doing 427 & 401 on weekend rides out to see my folks, so it wasn't the hellbent for death commuter traffic, and that made it a bit easier to get used to. Evening rush hour on the QEW heading east I've only done a couple of times pre-pandemic, and I found that more stressful than the 401 lol. But then again, it's a road I'm not used to, so being extra aware of trying to find my exit and navigating etc. would be more stressful than one I know well. So idk Chris Knight fucked around with this message at 16:23 on May 10, 2024 |
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May 10, 2024 16:19
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Chris Knight posted:I got used to freeway riding doing 427 & 401 on weekend rides out to see my folks, so it wasn't the hellbent for death commuter traffic, and that made it a bit easier to get used to. The lanes on the Gardiner and QEW are quite a bit narrower than the 401, so that can add to the stress. Really though, freeways are boring by design. You aren't supposed to have excitement, be caught off guard by oncoming traffic or off camber, reducing radius turns. Everyone going the same direction at roughly the same speed. Toronto highways are a warzone, because Ontario drivers are, if I'm being charitable, aggressively ignorant. But I'd feel a lot safer riding down the Gardiner through Etobicoke, than riding down Lakeshore through the same stretch, what with all the left turns into plazas and people exiting parking lots without looking.
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May 10, 2024 17:40
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Finger Prince posted:Really though, freeways are boring by design. You aren't supposed to have excitement, be caught off guard by oncoming traffic or off camber, reducing radius turns. Everyone going the same direction at roughly the same speed. Agreed, except when you’re on 401 eastbound and merge onto 427 south, it’s a long sweeper where the two right lanes end in succession, as more left lanes open up, and part of this is happening on the ramp. So you’re leaning right while shoulder checking on your left, it’s a bit much. epswing fucked around with this message at 18:05 on May 10, 2024 |
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May 10, 2024 17:59
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Gardiner and QEW are basically my only highway experience 
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May 10, 2024 18:01
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Finger Prince posted:But I'd feel a lot safer riding down the Gardiner through Etobicoke, than riding down Lakeshore through the same stretch, what with all the left turns into plazas and people exiting parking lots without looking. Hahahagaga Last fall we were out visiting my inlaws and I basically had to barge from Leslieville to Etobicoke and back in under an hour at rush hour, mostly on Lakeshore, and I'm afraid I got a little Mister Wheeler, MOTORIST with the rentacar
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May 10, 2024 18:08
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some kinda jackal posted:I'm in southern Ontario. There's fast boring straight roads or slow boring straight roads. Make a day of it and go ride the two lane highways up towards Peterborough and cottage country. Those are good.
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May 10, 2024 18:21
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epswing posted:Agreed, except when you’re on 401 eastbound and merge onto 427 south, it’s a long sweeper where the two right lanes end in succession, as more left lanes open up, and part of this is happening on the ramp. So you’re leaning right while shoulder checking on your left, it’s a bit much. This was part of my commute for years. I remember it well...  There is a hack though. When the traffic is really backed up there, exit on Renforth (you'll cut out a huge amount of traffic just doing that alone, because the Renforth exit lane is usually empty). Turn right on Renforth and follow it down to Eringate, turn left, and rejoin the 427 there. Cuts off that whole clusterfuck. Finger Prince fucked around with this message at 18:49 on May 10, 2024 |
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May 10, 2024 18:46
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Phy posted:Hahahagaga
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May 10, 2024 18:48
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Sagebrush posted:Make a day of it and go ride the two lane highways up towards Peterborough and cottage country. Those are good. Or on the west side, the area north of Burlington (the Mt. Nemo area) is nice, it's my go-to for a casual 2-3 hour ride. Finger Prince posted:This was part of my commute for years. I remember it well... drat  all these yearsMy "hack" is just to enter the ramp in the leftmost lane, so it's just one lane-change onto the 427 proper. Your detour is better though.
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May 10, 2024 18:55
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So many Ontario riders, dang. To find any great riding I typically have to go at least an hour away from Ottawa, it's brutal. Once you 45 minutes or so north of the city it becomes nice, or if you go west to Perth/Calabogie. Otherwise it's all boring.
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May 10, 2024 18:59
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I feel pretty lucky with cool places to ride. PNW beaches are within 70 minutes, all through coastal range roads. They can be busy but it's still great. This weekend I'm doing a 200 mile round trip to Astoria, Oregon. Some highway 101 on the way there and back through lonely, curvy Roads through the Tillamook State Forest
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May 10, 2024 19:00
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i was planning to scoot around the olympic peninsula this weekend 
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May 10, 2024 19:11
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epswing posted:Or on the west side, the area north of Burlington (the Mt. Nemo area) is nice, it's my go-to for a casual 2-3 hour ride. I only found out about it because Waze sometimes sent me that way. The other trick, at the other end of the 427 (which is a bit of a judgment call because you have to make the call pretty early, so you're doing it on gut feel and some visual cues and it isn't always better), is to take the Brown's Line exit and take the cloverleaf loop back on to the Gardiner. It does have the advantage of getting you on to the Gardiner earlier, so you don't risk getting squeezed on to the collectors or have to fight that battle. And it's a pretty tight radius turn, which is fun if there's nobody in front of you.
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May 10, 2024 19:18
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For the non-Toronto folks wondering what all this flappy head talk is aboot, here's the two intetchanges in question.  E-annotated  
Finger Prince fucked around with this message at 19:38 on May 10, 2024 |
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May 10, 2024 19:24
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MSPain posted:i was planning to scoot around the olympic peninsula this weekend What's stopping you?
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May 10, 2024 19:24
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epswing posted:My "hack" is just to enter the ramp in the leftmost lane, so it's just one lane-change onto the 427 proper. Your detour is better though.
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May 10, 2024 19:48
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Finger Prince posted:The other trick, at the other end of the 427 (which is a bit of a judgment call because you have to make the call pretty early, so you're doing it on gut feel and some visual cues and it isn't always better), is to take the Brown's Line exit and take the cloverleaf loop back on to the Gardiner. It does have the advantage of getting you on to the Gardiner earlier, so you don't risk getting squeezed on to the collectors or have to fight that battle. And it's a pretty tight radius turn, which is fun if there's nobody in front of you.
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May 10, 2024 19:49
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Finger Prince posted:The other trick, at the other end of the 427 is to take the Brown's Line exit and take the cloverleaf loop back on to the Gardiner. Yes, that's a good one. I almost never take the stock exit to the Gardiner because it's always a big angry shitshow. What a hilarious disaster we've created.
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May 10, 2024 20:01
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I've felt for a long time that a Grand Theft Auto: Greater Toronto Area would be worthwhile just in terms of how interesting and hosed up the highways are E: and the drivers being basically at 2-star aggression levels by default
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May 10, 2024 20:13
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Finger Prince posted:For the non-Toronto folks wondering what all this flappy head talk is aboot, here's the two intetchanges in question.
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May 10, 2024 20:49
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It can be two things! 
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May 10, 2024 21:05
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I had something really strange happen today when changing the fork oil on my nx250. These are bog standard forks, no adjustments etc, or old school adjust air pressure schrader valve on top.but has a bleed screw at the bottom for very easy servicing. Just open it, open the top seal in the triple clamp. Then let it drain, flush with a little oil and agitate to get more crud out. Then close drain bolt and fill with the appropriate amount of oil. Well, one of the forks somehow was under high pressure and voided itself down in the drain bucket and all over me. It’s a m6 bolt so nice focused beam that deflected in all directions from the drain pan..  The other fork was totally normal, just draining out by gravity. How the gently caress was one fork under high pressure and the another one normal? This is like the 10th time we’ve done fork oil on our fleet of nx250 bikes. The bike had been sitting for about a week, and there was no extreme temperatur weather wise. We found the drain bolt 5 meters away.
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May 11, 2024 16:54
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I think the manual for my '22 KX250 says to relieve air pressure in the forks periodically.
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May 11, 2024 17:00
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TotalLossBrain posted:I think the manual for my '22 KX250 says to relieve air pressure in the forks periodically. Oh God. There are 60 hrs on that bike. I should probably do that. Maybe even change the fork oil idk
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May 11, 2024 17:00
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TotalLossBrain posted:I feel pretty lucky with cool places to ride. PNW beaches are within 70 minutes, all through coastal range roads. They can be busy but it's still great. That’s a good-rear end ride. I woke up way later than I intended to but once I’m out the door I can just basically point the bike in any direction and there’s something amazing available to me. Currently leaning towards riding the Washington side of the gorge, but now I wonder if I wouldn’t enjoy something more like your route to the coast more. Mostly it’s coming down to “where do I want to eat lunch?”
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May 12, 2024 18:18
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Geekboy posted:. Mostly it’s coming down to “where do I want to eat lunch?” Currently at Geno's in Astoria for lunch
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May 12, 2024 19:17
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Great ride today to Astoria. About 250 miles and only half of it was uncomfortably cold. We saw lots of cops everywhere. Came across one scene that was a GSXR parked next to a cruiser with someone in the backseat  And yet we were speeding most of the way just by keeping up with traffic. Good ride, nice lunch at Geno's My kid has filled up his ER6N 5 times this weekend.
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May 13, 2024 03:18
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TotalLossBrain posted:Currently at Geno's in Astoria for lunch Beautiful. I ended up going the southern route around Mt. Hood, up to Hood River for a fancy ginger coffee drink and a cookie at Dog River, then Hwy 30 to the old highway and past Vista House heading home. I’m kind of baffled with how well my Bonneville cuts through the air because I don’t get much on my chest at all. Except on Hwy 30 in The Gorge. Then it feels like what weirdos on Reddit make it sound like every bike without an 8 ft screen feels.
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May 13, 2024 04:42
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I've got a tiger and the windscreen on high setting still let's wind smash me in the face all ride. Which is extra spicy when it's foggy and I've got that nice icy air hitting my neck.
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May 13, 2024 23:46
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I went to Portugal this spring and the motorcycle culture there is such a different vibe than Canada.  So many small bikes and scooters. Rarely saw what would be considered normal or standard here.
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May 14, 2024 02:48
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Yeah, every time I go abroad I'm gobsmacked how different it is from Canada. It's so run of the mill ordinary in Japan and I'm mildly jealous of it.
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May 14, 2024 11:36
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Yeah the difference between viewing bikes as daily driver essential transportation and viewing them as toys for sunny weather is big.
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May 14, 2024 12:49
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for the first time in over ten years I'm in 'new bike hype' phase. I've had my SV since march 2011 but soooon (maybe this weekend?) I'll have my first taste of an inline 4. I've never felt like I want more power so I found the zx-4rr really appealing as something that would scream but not be overkill for the street (at least for how I ride). that said it's also my first 'new' bike so I have to contend with things like "break-in period" and "you actually have a warranty so maybe don't immediately run out to flash it". I'll be keeping it otherwise stock (for now??) as I don't want to make a noise problem even worse. It's going to be very weird going from a bike that is already pre-crashed and dirty to one that is immaculate! Pickup is hopefully this weekend although the forecasted rain will make it a wet ride home.
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May 14, 2024 12:58
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helno posted:I went to Portugal this spring and the motorcycle culture there is such a different vibe than Canada.
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May 14, 2024 14:53
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bsamu posted:zx-4rr Hell yeah! I think that makes three of us with them on the forum. My hour ride home from the dealer was also in the rain. Nothing like taking a brand new bike and making it filthy immediately.
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May 14, 2024 15:23
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Beve Stuscemi posted:Yeah the difference between viewing bikes as daily driver essential transportation and viewing them as toys for sunny weather is big. I ride daily in Thailand and there's never a need to go bigger than 125cc unless you plan to go between cities, you'd lose under seat storage and the front shopping tray too
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May 14, 2024 16:07
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bsamu posted:for the first time in over ten years I'm in 'new bike hype' phase. I've had my SV since march 2011 but soooon (maybe this weekend?) I'll have my first taste of an inline 4. I've never felt like I want more power so I found the zx-4rr really appealing as something that would scream but not be overkill for the street (at least for how I ride). fukkin sick you're gonna love it! Mine is currently covered in dead bugs and I'm not in any hurry to clean it so yours will be in good company
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May 14, 2024 21:57
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bsamu posted:for the first time in over ten years I'm in 'new bike hype' phase. I've had my SV since march 2011 but soooon (maybe this weekend?) I'll have my first taste of an inline 4. I've never felt like I want more power so I found the zx-4rr really appealing as something that would scream but not be overkill for the street (at least for how I ride). Congrats! Nothing like the sound of an inline 4 when you get the revs up. Holy poo poo peak is 14k rpm that's a great screamer.
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May 14, 2024 23:20
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There's no way I could resist a flash on one of those with how neutered they are from the factory.
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May 15, 2024 12:57
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